The 2024 Whole Photo voltaic Eclipse is probably the most spectacular pure occasion of the 12 months – and Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Pageant is among the finest locations to expertise it. The competition is a 4-day intriguing mixture of science seminars, music competition, and day on the public park. Nevertheless it’s additionally restricted to 4,000 attendees, so it’s essential to purchase your ticket quick.
The competition is held at a municipal park in Scorching Springs, Arkansas. Climate in early April in Scorching Springs is often delicate, with a superb likelihood for clear skies.
Learn this information to study extra about Atlas Obscura, the Ecliptic Pageant, and see some tips about planning and packing for this occasion.
What’s Atlas Obscura?
In 2009, writer Joshua Foer and documentary filmmaker Dylan Thuras launched the Atlas Obscura web site. The web site is a compendium of obscure, intriguing locations usually not present in guidebooks.
Since its founding, one of many core aims of Atlas Obscura has been to create a real-world group of engaged explorers who do extra than simply add obscure locations to a bucket listing. Atlas Obscura hosts journeys around the globe and experiences led by native guides.
In 2016, Foer, Thuras, and Ella Morton revealed Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Information to the World’s Hidden Wonders. Now in its second version, the 480-page e book options among the most obscure and fascinating locations to go to around the globe. In 2021, Thuras and Cecily Wong revealed Gastro Obscura: A Meals Adventurer’s Information.
What’s the Ecliptic Pageant?
Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Pageant is a 4-day celebration that includes visitor audio system, musical performances, and celestial occasions from April 5 till April 8, 2024.
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The oldsters at Atlas Obscura partnered with Valley of the Vapors organizers, an annual impartial musical competition in Scorching Springs. “We’re bringing the Atlas Obscura method to the competition,” Megan Roberts, Vice President of Experiential, defined. “What we’re attempting to do with the programming and the music and the artwork is to raise the eclipse expertise.”
Worldwide musicians carry out in between seminars on eclipse mythology, astronomy, and folklore. Visitor audio system embody best-selling authors, scientists, and Atlas Obscura’s founders.
The competition is held at Cedar Glades Park, a small municipal park about 10 minutes from downtown Scorching Springs, Arkansas. The competition can have meals, restrooms, and water accessible all through the weekend.
The park’s facilities can be open throughout the competition, together with:
- An 18-hole disc golf course
- 10 miles of mountain biking and mountain climbing trails
- A 3-story treehouse for kids
- Two playgrounds
- A climbing wall
A primitive campground can be constructed completely for the competition – tenting is often not allowed on the park. In a single day visitors can convey their very own tent, park an RV, or bask in a luxurious canvas tent.
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Roberts added, “Ecliptic is 100% household pleasant. Now we have made it accessible to a variety of audiences which might be thrown collectively by this shared pleasure for the eclipse.”
Normal admission to the competition ranges from $70-$385 for single-day or full weekend passes. Kids aged 10 and underneath are admitted totally free. The competition is proscribed to 4,000 attendees to maintain it an intimate expertise. Go to the Ecliptic Pageant web site to purchase an admission go.
- Partial Eclipse | 12:31 to three:10 p.m. (CDT)
- Begin of Totality | 1:49:29 p.m. (CDT)
- Length of Totality | 3 minutes 37 seconds
Easy methods to use this map | Click on the icon within the top-left nook to open the Map Legend, then click on on any of the legend gadgets to show extra info. If in case you have a Google account, click on the (very faint) star on the finish of the map’s identify to save lots of this map to your account, then entry the map out of your smartphone throughout your journey.
Easy methods to Get There
Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Pageant is held at Cedar Glades Park, a municipal park 3.5 miles from downtown Scorching Springs, Arkansas. It takes about 10 minutes to drive the scenic route throughout the small mountain vary to the park.
Scorching Springs is a considerably distant vacation spot – it’s straightforward to drive there, however flying or driving a prepare is difficult.
Professional Journey Tip | The competition’s campground is primitive, with no showers or provides apart from potable water. I strongly suggest driving to the competition – both your automobile or a rental.
Invoice & Hillary Clinton Nationwide Airport (LIT) and Amtrak’s Union Station are an hour away in Little Rock, so a automobile rental from the airport is required to complete the journey into Scorching Springs.
Driving is simpler with Interstate 30, which is about twenty miles away. I-30 connects Little Rock and I-40 to Texarkana and I-49.
One of many perks of staying on the competition’s campground is free parking. Different attendees should pay for parking – $35 per day or $100 for a 4-day go. The payment contains parking and a roundtrip shuttle. Go to the Ecliptic Pageant web site to purchase a parking go.
In regards to the Musical Artists
Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Pageant is partnered with the Valley of the Vapors, an annual impartial musical competition. The music competition usually options over 100 artists, however there can be fewer in 2024 due to the partnership with Atlas Obscura.
See the full lineup of musical artists for hyperlinks to their Instagram and Spotify accounts.
The music begins early on Friday with 5 performances. Over a dozen artists carry out between visitor audio system and seminars concerning the eclipse on Saturday and Sunday. Monday culminates with a string of musical performances main as much as totality at 1:49:29 p.m. (CDT).
Attendees ought to convey their very own chairs to benefit from the music from a brief soundstage in a big meadow. The Coleman Tenting Chair is a traditional foldable quad chair that’s straightforward to pack and cheap. The Helinox Ultralight Tenting Chair is a improbable improve with a light-weight, packable chair that’s straightforward to hold all through the day.
Particular Visitor Audio system
Departing from the standard music competition, probably the most fascinating factor about Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Pageant is the spectacular lineup of visitor audio system. The competition is a few 1:2 ratio of visitor audio system to music, permitting attendees to study concerning the science of eclipses and revel in music.
The visitor audio system will lead seminars concerning the mythology of eclipses, the folklore of the celestial occasion, and the science behind the spectacular expertise of totality.
The lineup of visitor audio system contains Adam Savage, astrobiologist Dr. Graham Lau, storyteller Dr. Kelly Reidy, and rocket scientist Summer time Ash. Atlas Obscura founders Dylan Thuras and Joshua Foer can even communicate on the Ecliptic Pageant.
Characteristic Movie Screenings
One other fascinating function of Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Pageant is a sequence of function movie screenings. The movies are an fascinating option to rejoice the entire photo voltaic eclipse.
On Friday evening, A Journey to the Moon will seemingly introduce a contemporary viewers to their first screening of the 1902 French silent movie. Directed by George Méliès, the movie is a few group of astronomers who journey to the moon. Though the particular results will seem foolish by as we speak’s requirements, they had been revolutionary on the time – it was the 1900s model of Jurassic Park.
On Saturday evening, The Arrival is an artwork home movie produced by the Unarius Academy of Science. It’s a curious movie about supernatural occasions revolving round UFO encounters.
On Sunday evening, audiences can be launched to Implausible Planet. The 1973 French animated movie directed by René Laloux is about kidnapped people dwelling on the planet Ygam amongst gigantic blue humanoid Traags.
Experiencing the Eclipse
The Ecliptic Pageant’s schedule is stuffed with musical performances and visitor audio system. However every little thing over the weekend leads as much as the large present on Monday: the entire photo voltaic eclipse.
Cedar Glades Park options a big meadow the place the competition’s predominant stage is positioned. It’s a superb place to expertise totality – particularly for those who’ve already arrange comfy chairs for having fun with the dwell music.
The competition’s attendance is proscribed to 4,000. This ensures an intimate totality expertise as a substitute of a chaotic zoo. The park is massive sufficient for individuals to unfold out as a substitute of sitting shoulder-to-shoulder.
Among the best locations to expertise the eclipse is among the mountain climbing trails within the park. Visitors can head out on one of many trails to a non-public location to expertise totality.
Tenting & Glamping on the Ecliptic Pageant
What’s a music competition with out primitive tenting? However this isn’t simply any primitive tenting – it’s Atlas Obscura’s method to tenting.
Attendees can BYOT – convey your personal tent – with small primitive websites in Cedar Glades Park. It’s also possible to park an RV, however with out concrete or paved pads, I might not suggest bringing something with slide-outs.
The height of the tenting expertise is glamping in luxurious canvas tents offered by the Shelter Co. These round tents are furnished with 1, 2, or 4 beds, luxurious Egyptian cotton sheets, down comforters, bedside tables, and lounge chairs. The standing peak of the tent makes it simpler to spend the evening tenting.
Though no hookups exist within the campground, it’s not totally primitive. Bathe trailers and restrooms can be parked close to the campground. Potable water can be equipped. Though a telephone charging station can be offered, I like to recommend bringing a photo voltaic generator just like the Aim Zero Yeti Energy Station or a big energy financial institution just like the Anker Transportable Energy Station to maintain your units charged all through the weekend.
There are two perks to spending the weekend tenting on the competition grounds.
In a single day visitors within the campground get a complimentary parking go. However the biggest perk occurs after darkish – stargazing. B&H Picture will convey high-end telescopes and lead stargazing events observing the evening sky.
Campsites start at $85 per evening for bringing your personal tent, $850 for an RV over the weekend, and $1,450 for a luxurious canvas tent. Go to the Ecliptic Pageant web site to e book a campsite.
Different Locations to Keep
If you happen to’re not a fan of tenting – even in a luxurious canvas tent – there are many different choices in Scorching Springs. However, lodge costs can be considerably greater due to the one-time occasion. You’ll seemingly pay about 600% of the common nightly price for the weekend.
Listed below are a number of motels the place you possibly can keep whereas attending Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Pageant.
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The Waters is a luxurious boutique lodge owned by Hilton. Spacious rooms with balconies and an on-site restaurant and bar create a snug ambiance for spending the weekend. E-book now with Reserving.com or Expedia.com
Embassy Suites is a superb place for households to remain inside strolling distance of downtown sights and eating places. The lodge options an indoor swimming pool and rooms with sleeper sofas. E-book now with Reserving.com or Expedia.com
The Lodge Scorching Springs is conveniently positioned in the course of downtown. The lodge options free parking, an on-site restaurant, and spacious rooms. E-book now with Reserving.com or Expedia.com
The Vacation Inn Categorical is 5 minutes from downtown Scorching Springs and quarter-hour from the Ecliptic Pageant. The lodge options an indoor swimming pool and rooms with a sleeper couch for households. E-book now with Reserving.com or Expedia.com
TownePlace Suites is the very best place in Scorching Springs for households to remain. Every room features a small kitchen with a full-size fridge, permitting visitors to arrange some meals within the room and get monetary savings. The lodge options an outside swimming pool and fuel grills. E-book now with Reserving.com or Expedia.com
The Greatest Western is a reasonable small lodge throughout the highway from the Oaklawn Racing On line casino Resort. The lodge options an outside swimming pool and spacious rooms. A household suite contains two double beds and a sleeper couch that comfortably sleeps a household of 4. E-book now with Reserving.com or Expedia.com
Issues to Know Earlier than You Go
Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Pageant and the entire photo voltaic eclipse are two of the most important occasions to occur in 2024. There are a number of issues to plan and pack earlier than hitting the highway to Scorching Springs.
Listed below are some issues you could know earlier than going to the competition.
- Commemorative eclipse glasses are included with admission, however I like to recommend you convey a pair as a backup
- The competition occasions finish on April 8, however tenting continues till April 9
- No refunds are provided in case of cloudy climate on the day of the eclipse
- A parking payment is required for all drivers, however you possibly can keep away from the payment for those who take a rideshare to the competition
- This can be a family-friendly competition
- Convey chairs or blankets to benefit from the music and totality